The Way of Heaven Rewards Diligence in Film and Television

Chapter 87 Picking-a-Picture Team Building

The next day, Xie Zhiyao invited several people from the courtyard to a team-building activity, saying they would go to an orchard to pick fruit and eat it themselves, with lunch provided.

Upon hearing that they were going on a team-building trip, everyone was naturally interested and excited. Nana brought a tent, and Hu Youyu even brought his guitar, ready to play a tune if the mood struck him.

But when they arrived, they realized they had been tricked by Xie Zhiyao into coming to pick plums for Aunt Feng, and they were all immediately depressed.

"Come on!" Xie Xiaochun and Huang Xinxin brought baskets to Xu Hongdou and the others who were sitting in a row on the ground.

"Teacher Hu, why did you bring a guitar to work?" Huang Xinxin asked with a smile.

"I'm sick," Hu Youyu said weakly.

Xie Zhiyao, the instigator, laughed and said, "Nana also brought a tent. We'll find a place to set it up later, and you can put your things inside. You can also cool off when you're tired."

Seeing that everyone was silent, Xie Zhiyao said, "I'm not lying to you. You can pick fruit in the orchard, eat as much as you want, take as much as you want, and lunch is provided."

"You really are," Hu Youyu snorted, while Da Mai rolled his eyes and said, "Just a word game, isn't it?"

"Just treat it as a game, and rest when you're tired," Xie Zhiyao said.

Master Ma walked straight over to check the picking tools that Xie Xiaochun and the others had prepared.

Aunt Feng even came over to thank everyone for their help; this made it impossible for Lin Yang and the others to refuse.

It's fair to say that Aunt Feng and Uncle Chang have had a tough time. Their daughter died in an accident while picking mushrooms in the mountains when she was little, and their son, Xie Qiang, is in prison.

Over the years, the couple had lived frugally. Yesterday, Uncle Chang fainted in the field while harvesting wheat due to anemia.

Even Xie Zhiyao's father, who is such a resourceful person, helped their family harvest potatoes when he came back last time.

Now that the plums are ripe, Aunt Feng can't harvest them all by herself, so Xie Zhiyao asked Lin Yang and the others to come and help. Xie Zhiyao, Xie Xiaochun, and Huang Xinxin all came to help voluntarily.

Aunt Feng knew that Lin Yang and the others came from the city and probably had no experience with farm work, so she didn't expect them to be able to help much, but she was still very grateful that they came.

Faced with Aunt Feng's enthusiasm, everyone quickly assigned tasks. Xie Xiaochun and Huang Xinxin helped Aunt Feng pick plums, while Xie Zhiyao led the people in the courtyard.

"Oh dear, I even thoughtfully prepared arm sleeves for everyone," Xie Zhiyao said, taking out the prepared items. "In addition, I also prepared sun-protective clothing for all of you beautiful and kind ladies, just in case you get sunburned."

After Xu Hongdou and the others finished choosing, Xie Zhiyao handed the remaining item to Hu Youyu, who was squatting on the ground holding a guitar: "The best one left is for you."

"Mr. Xie, aren't you going to keep one for yourself? Are you here to supervise the construction?" Lin Yang said.

"Okay, I'll work with you guys," Xie Zhiyao said with a forced smile. "Um, I'll go set up the tents first, I need to make sure you have proper logistical support!"

When they first started, Master Ma tricked Hu Youyu into tasting the plums, saying they were very sweet, but in reality they were quite sour.

These plums are not meant to be eaten directly; they are used to make wine, preserves, and dried fruit, unlike blueberries which can be eaten directly.

"You're giving this to me to eat if it's not edible?" Hu Youyu couldn't help but ask after hearing Master Ma's explanation.

"I ate one too, so I can't be the only one feeling sour!" Master Ma said with a smile.

Everyone was standing under the tree reaching out to pick the fruit; the ones higher up were really hard to pick.

"Lin Yang, be careful," Xu Hongdou couldn't help but remind him as she saw Lin Yang climb the tree to pick the fruit.

"Don't worry! Climbing trees is a skill I've honed since I was a child, I'm very agile and proficient!" Lin Yang said, deftly picking some plums from a high branch.

Xie Zhiyao, who was busy serving tea and water to everyone, couldn't help but say, "Old Ma, Teacher Hu, hurry up and pick them! You guys are the slowest, you've been chatting the whole time. Look how efficient Lin Yang is!"

"Oh dear, with my old arms and legs, I can't climb trees anymore. I can't keep up with these young people!" Master Ma laughed.

Hu Youyu retorted confidently, "What? Who picks them the slowest? Have you ever heard of the real-life tortoise and the hare race? We men are all about endurance. You'll see at the end."

"Look and look, do you really think that we healthy young women are inferior to you, a middle-aged man who doesn't exercise and is addicted to alcohol and women?" Nana said.

Hu Youyu retorted, "What do you mean, middle-aged or elderly? I'm a teenager, okay?"

"Teenager? Besides your youthful mindset, what else makes you young?" Lin Yang did a handstand before poking his head down from the tree: "If you can do what I do, then I'll admit you're young."

"Alright, you're really good at this, I'm impressed," Hu Youyu immediately retorted.

"Don't be silly, you might fall," Xie Zhiyao quickly reminded him.

Lin Yang quickly picked a plum from the top corner and then nimbly flipped down from the tree.

After a round of banter and laughter, everyone was busy until noon. Aunt Gui rode her electric tricycle with Aunt Baoping to bring them lunch.

After a morning of work, everyone naturally enjoyed their meal.

Hearing Nana and Damai praise the food, Lin Yang couldn't help but laugh and say, "What? Is it even better than what I make?"

"It tastes different from other foods," Nana said with a smile.

"I've been working all morning and I don't want to move at all. Aunt Feng and Uncle Chang are such old folks, where do they get the energy?" Hu Youyu, who had already finished eating and was lying down to the side, couldn't help but mutter.

While gnawing on a spare rib, Master Ma sighed, "People need something to strive for to have motivation. And with motivation comes inexhaustible energy, so even the hardest times can be sweet."

"To put it bluntly, it's so that their son Xie Qiang can suffer less. Otherwise, why would the old couple work so hard?" Xie Xiaochun couldn't help but say.

"Parents love their children, so they plan far ahead for them! All parents work hard and worry about their children," Lin Yang said, shaking his head. "However, not all parents are like that..."

Xu Hongdou glanced at Lin Yang, and Nana couldn't help but say, "They should try to be more open-minded; children and grandchildren have their own blessings!"

"If only they could be more open-minded, that's how their generation is," Xie Xiaochun said.

Lin Yang said, "We should conserve our energy. Otherwise, if we overwork ourselves, we'll just be a burden to our children in the future. Fortunately, although my cheap old man never asked about me growing up, he didn't become a burden to me when he died. He even left me an inheritance."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Lin Yang. Xie Zhiyao was somewhat amused and exasperated: "Lin Yang, we don't know whether to be happy for you or to comfort you."

"Be happy for me! What's there to comfort me about? I only known the old man for a short time, and he was gone before I even had a chance to feel anything, so our relationship was just so-so," Lin Yang said nonchalantly.

"Actually, it's good this way," Master Ma said with emotion. "In this life, there is the pain of separation, birth, old age, sickness and death, resentment and hatred, and the inability to get what you want. There are too many things that are beyond our control and too many things that we can't do without. It is a blessing to experience less of these things."

After dinner, Lin Yang and Xu Hongdou went for a stroll to digest their food. Seeing that Lin Yang always had a smile on his face, Xu Hongdou couldn't help but ask, "Lin Yang, you always seem so happy. Are you really that carefree, or do you keep all your unhappiness inside?"

Lin Yang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "As an orphan, it's true that you're more used to keeping your emotions to yourself and processing them on your own. Suffering is not easy, and everyone has to go through it, but different people understand and feel it differently."

"Is Aunt Feng having a tough time? But there are always people who have it even tougher than her. The standards for measurement are different. Maybe some people think that earning a million or two a year is very stressful in a big city! Right?"

'